Shocked over 'never passing once' at the World Cup, death threats followed → Eventually Erling Haaland stepped in himself: "All players always..."

*This content was translated by AI.

Despite achieving the historic first-ever quarterfinal run at the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup, Norway is now engulfed in a serious backlash. It has been confirmed that Aleksandar Sjolund (Atletico Madrid) received death threats for allegedly not passing to Norway's ace Erling Haaland (Manchester City) at a critical moment.

Spanish media outlet 'Diario AS' reported on the 14th (Korean time): "Norway's quarterfinal advancement is their best-ever result, but Sjolund has not received a warm welcome back home." The report added: "Following England's quarterfinal defeat, numerous insults and horrific death threat comments have flooded Sjolund's social networking service (SNS) account."

The incident occurred during the quarterfinal match against England held last weekend. Norway took the lead in the 36th minute of the first half with an early goal by Andreas Schelde-Rup, then seized a counterattack opportunity just before halftime. Sjolund, dribbling down the right flank, attempted a shot himself instead of passing to Haaland, who was waiting in a wide space inside the penalty area, but the chance fell through. Norway conceded an equalizer in stoppage time of the first half and ultimately lost 1-2 after allowing Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) to score the winning goal in extra time.

After the match, angry fans flocked to Sjolund's SNS. The post uploaded following Brazil's 16th-round victory on the 6th had received over 170,000 comments, many of which were abusive and threatening messages directed at Sjolund for not passing.

Sjolund explained the situation in an interview with local media, expressing his painful feelings. He stated: "When I lifted my head after the first touch, John Stones (Manchester City) was blocking the passing lane. So I attempted another touch, but it wasn't good." He added: "I should have moved first to disrupt Stones' balance, but I hesitated and waited."

He continued: "In that situation, what I wanted most was to pass to Haaland. However, I judged that the passing angle was not available, so I chose to shoot. It's extremely difficult to feel this kind of self-blame on such a major stage where our World Cup quarterfinal hopes were at stake."

Teammate and involved party Haaland embraced the hurt Sjolund, demonstrating world-class dignity. In an interview, Haaland also said: "Sjolund is a great player. Above all, he is a very precious friend of mine. Football is a sport decided by split-second choices. Sometimes you make the right decision; sometimes you don't." He defended his teammate further: "People watching from home have time to pause the screen and analyze every angle, but on the pitch, decisions must be made in just 0.1 seconds."

Haaland added: "All players often make regrettable decisions they wish they could undo. I will never blame Sjolund for that moment." He emphasized: "The defeat against England was not due to a single missed pass or opportunity. The team wins together and loses together. I will always stand by Sjolund and support him."

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*This content was translated by AI.